Pope Caius

Last updated


Caius
Bishop of Rome
Church Early Christianity
Papacy began17 December 283
Papacy ended22 April 296
Predecessor Eutychian
Successor Marcellinus
Personal details
Born
Caius or Gaius

Unknown
Died22 April 296
Rome, Roman Empire
Sainthood
Feast day22 April

Pope Caius (died 22 April 296), [1] also called Gaius, was the bishop of Rome from 17 December 283 to his death in 296. [2] Little information on Caius is available except that given by the Liber Pontificalis , which relies on a legendary account of the martyrdom of Susanna of Rome for its information. According to legend, Caius baptized the men and women who had been converted by Tiburtius (who is venerated with Susanna) and Castulus. [3] His legend states that Caius took refuge in the catacombs of Rome and died a martyr. [4]

Contents

Pontificate

Remains of the basilica of Salona. HR-Salona-Monastirine-5.jpg
Remains of the basilica of Salona.

Christian tradition makes Caius a native of the Dalmatian city of Salona, the son of a man also named Caius, and a member of a noble family related to the Emperor Diocletian. [5] About 280, an early Christian house of worship was established on the site of Santa Susanna, which, like many of the earliest Christian meeting places, was in a house (domus ecclesiae). The domus belonged, according to the sixth-century acta , to brothers named Caius and Gabinus, prominent Christians. Caius may be this pope, or Caius the Presbyter. Gabinus is the name given to the father of Susanna. Thus, sources state that Caius was the uncle of Susanna. [1]

As pope, Caius decreed that before someone could assume the position of bishop, he must first be porter, lector, exorcist, acolyte, subdeacon, deacon, and priest. He also divided the districts of Rome among the deacons. [4] [6] During his pontificate, anti-Christian measures increased, although new churches were built and cemeteries were expanded. St Caius may not have been martyred: the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians began in 303 AD, after Caius’ alleged death, and Diocletian was not immediately hostile to Christianity upon becoming emperor. [5] [4]

Legacy

Depiction of the alleged martyrdom of Pope Caius by Lorenzo Monaco. It was originally part of the altarpiece of the church of San Gaggio in Florence. Martyrdom of Pope Caius.jpg
Depiction of the alleged martyrdom of Pope Caius by Lorenzo Monaco. It was originally part of the altarpiece of the church of San Gaggio in Florence.

Caius is mentioned in the fourth-century Depositio Episcoporum (therefore not as a martyr): X kl maii Caii in Callisti. [2]

Caius' tomb, with the original epitaph, was discovered in the catacomb of Callixtus and in it the ring with which he used to seal his letters (see Arringhi, Roma subterr., 1. iv. c. xlviii. p. 426). [7] In 1631, his alleged residence in Rome was turned into a church. However, it was demolished in 1880 to make room for the Ministry of War, on the Via XX Settembre, and his relics were transferred to the chapel of the Barberini family. [5]

Saint Caius's feast day is celebrated on 22 April, as is that of Pope Soter. They are celebrated jointly in the Tridentine calendar and in the successive versions of the General Roman Calendar until that of 1969, since when they are omitted. Both are mentioned under 22 April in the Roman Martyrology, the official list of recognized saints. The entry for Saint Caius is as follows: "At Rome, in the cemetery of Callistus on the Via Appia, the burial of Saint Caius, Pope, who, fleeing from the persecution of Diocletian, died as a confessor of the faith." [8]

Saint Caius is portrayed in art wearing the papal tiara with Saint Nereus. He is venerated in Dalmatia and Venice. In Florence, the church of San Gaggio on the via Senese was dedicated to him; the term Gaggio is a corruption of the name Cajo. In 2003, plans were put into effect to turn it into residential council housing. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Marcellus I</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 308 to 309

Pope Marcellus I was the bishop of Rome from May or June 308 to his death. He succeeded Marcellinus after a considerable interval. Under Maxentius, he was banished from Rome in 309, on account of the tumult caused by the severity of the penances he had imposed on Christians who had lapsed under the recent persecution. He died the same year, being succeeded by Eusebius. His relics are under the altar of San Marcello al Corso in Rome. Since 1969 his feast day, traditionally kept on 16 January by the Catholic Church, is left to local calendars and is no longer inscribed in the General Roman Calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Soter</span> Head of the Catholic Church from c. 167 to c. 174

Pope Soter was the bishop of Rome from c. 167 to his death in c. 174. According to the Annuario Pontificio, the dates may have ranged from 162–168 to 170–177. He was born in Fondi, Campania, today in the Lazio region of Italy. Soter is known for declaring that marriage was valid only as a sacrament blessed by a priest and also for formally inaugurating Easter as an annual festival in Rome. His name, from Greek Σωτήριος from σωτήρ "saviour", would be his baptismal name, as his lifetime predates the tradition of adopting papal names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Pontian</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 230 to 235

Pope Pontian was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 230 to 28 September 235. In 235, during the persecution of Christians in the reign of the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, Pontian was arrested and sent to the island of Sardinia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Fabian</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 236 to 250

Pope Fabian was the bishop of Rome from 10 January 236 until his death on 20 January 250, succeeding Anterus. A dove is said to have descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit's unexpected choice to become the next pope. He was succeeded by Cornelius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope Marcellinus</span> Head of the Catholic Church from 296 to 304

Pope Marcellinus was the bishop of Rome from 30 June 296 to his death in 304. A historical accusation was levelled at him by some sources to the effect that he might have renounced Christianity during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians before repenting afterwards, which would explain why he is omitted from lists of martyrs. The accusation is rejected, among others, by Augustine of Hippo. He is today venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and in the Serbian Orthodox Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catacombs of Rome</span> Ancient burial places in Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of Rome are ancient catacombs, underground burial places in and around Rome, of which there are at least forty, some rediscovered only in recent decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Lawrence</span> Early Christian deacon of Rome and martyr

Saint Lawrence or Laurence was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pancras of Rome</span> Child martyr of early Christianity

Pancras was a Roman citizen who converted to Christianity and was beheaded for his faith at the age of fourteen, around the year 304. His name is Greek (Πανκράτιος) and means "the one that holds everything".

Cyriacus, sometimes Anglicized as Cyriac, according to Christian tradition, is a Christian martyr who was killed in the Diocletianic Persecution. He is one of twenty-seven saints, most of them martyrs, who bear this name, of whom only seven are honoured by a specific mention of their names in the Roman Martyrology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)</span>

August 10 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - August 12

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Susanna, Rome</span> Church in Rome, Italy

The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian is a Roman Catholic parish church located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a titular church associated to its site as far back as AD 280. The current church was rebuilt from 1585 to 1603 for a monastery of Cistercian nuns founded on the site in 1587, which still exists there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Crowned Martyrs</span> Martyrs and saints in Early Christianity

The Four Crowned Martyrs or Four Holy Crowned Ones were nine individuals who are venerated as martyrs and saints of Early Christianity. The nine saints are divided into two groups:

  1. Severus, Severian(us), Carpophorus (Carpoforus), Victorinus
  2. Claudius, Castorius, Symphorian (Simpronian), Nicostratus, and Simplicius

Saint Gabinus is the title given to two personages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Susanna</span> Christian martyr

Susanna of Rome was a Christian martyr of the Diocletianic Persecution. Her existing hagiography, written between about 450 and 500 AD, is of no historical value and the relations it attributes to Susanna are entirely fictitious. It is probable that a real martyr named Susanna lies behind the literary invention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Sebastiano al Palatino</span> Church in Rome, Italy

San Sebastiano al Palatino is a church on the northeastern corner of the Palatine Hill in Rome. It is dedicated to Saint Sebastian, a late-third-century Christian martyr under the reign of Diocletian. According to legend, the church was built on the site of the saint's "first" martyrdom with arrows, which was unsuccessful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felicitas of Rome</span>

Felicitas of Rome, also anglicized as Felicity, is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Salaria on a 23 November. However, a legend presents her as the mother of the seven martyrs whose feast is celebrated on 10 July. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates their martyrdom on 25 January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castulus</span> 3rd-century Christian martyr and saint

Castulus is venerated as a martyr and saint. According to tradition, he was the chamberlain of Emperor Diocletian and the husband of Irene of Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papacy in early Christianity</span> History of papacy from 30 A.D. to 313

Papacy in early Christianity was the period in papal history between 30 AD, when according to Catholic doctrine, Saint Peter effectively assumed his pastoral role as the Visible Head of the Church, until the pontificate of Miltiades, in 313, when Peace in the Church began.

References

  1. 1 2 "Our Popes". The Church of Santa Susanna. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 Wikisource-logo.svg Chapman, John (1908). "Caius and Soter, Saints and Popes". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  3. "San Castulo, Mártir | ACI Prensa – Santos". aciprensa.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Brusher, Joseph (1959). "St. Caius". Popes Through the Ages. Archived from the original on 1 November 2007 via Christ's Faithful People.
  5. 1 2 3 San Caio at Santi e Beati (in Italian)
  6. Saint of the Day, April 22: Caius Archived 28 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine SaintPatrickDC.org. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  7. Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Caius". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 960.
  8. Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ISBN   88-209-7210-7)
  9. Firenze la città nuova – Gallery Archived 24 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
Titles of the Great Christian Church
Preceded by Bishop of Rome
Pope

283–296
Succeeded by